Facebook was awash with several comments and reactions following the removal of a photo in which a father was cuddling his sick son in the shower to calm his fever down.
The picture was uploaded by a photographer, Heather Whitten, on Monday, May 2, 2016 and she has insisted that there was nothing sexual about the photo as her husband Thomas was only comforting their son after he suffered salmonella poisoning in November 2014.
She wrote: “This was November of 2014, Fox would be hospitalized that night for salmonella poisoning [that we never figured out how he was exposed to].
Thomas had spent hours in the shower with him, trying to keep his fever down and letting the vomit and diarrhea rinse off of them both as it came.
“Thomas had spent hours in the shower with him, trying to keep his fever down and letting the vomit and diarrhea rinse off of them both as it came.
“It was a powerful moment for us as parents. Our intuition was starting to fire off that this was much more serious than just a virus but we’ve had much more experience with over reacting than not so we were trying to hold off.
“As I sat in the shower with the two of them I was just overwhelmed with the scene in front of me. This man. This husband and partner and father. He was so patient and so loving and so strong with our tiny son in his lap.
“His whispers of reassurance to Fox, that he would be ok and that Thomas would take care of him were so steady and so honest.
“I stepped out and grabbed my camera and came back to snap a few images of it and, of course shared them. I was taken aback by how many people missed the story or didn’t even look past the nudity to find the story.
“They were just hung up on them both being nude and being in the shower. I had crossed a line. It was too intimate. It shouldn’t be shared publicly. But, I disagree.
“My family may be different than yours. But, that doesn’t make your way right or my way wrong. You may never take images of your family like I do… you may never share images of your family like I do. But, that doesn’t give you the right to silence my voice. To take away my right to share our experiences in an uncensored way.
“There is nothing sexual or exploitative about this image. There aren’t even any “private parts” showing.
“I wish I could express this all in a better way. I wish I were better spoken and not as rambling. But, this is important to me. And, I hope that one day there will be a platform that not only allows this kind of freedom for families and artists like my own… but, welcomes them without fear.”
The post received over 140, 000 likes, 20,000 comments and has been shared by over 32, 000 Facebook users.
One user, Einar Omholt wrote: “As a father to two young boys this story made made me shed a tear. All loving and caring fathers would have done the same no matter what. Be proud of your husband for giving your child unconditional love and be proud of yourself for sharing this very beautiful moment. Both of you are blessed to have him.”
Another, Nancy Lambert added: “People are really quick to judge. It’s not ok, in my opinion to post nude pictures just to post it. When you read the story behind this one, it makes it a perfect moment of pure love, so that is the reason to share it. I am glad that you persevere in sharing this story. He is a great dad to do that for his son. I hope he is ok now.”
While commending the parents and at the same time, condemning the photo, a user, Tamara Hoveling said: “I think this picture is beautiful and cute, and I hope your son is well. BUT you must realise that nudity is not allowed on Facebook. You should not make a drama of the fact that the picture got removed, however you may to my opinion make a problem of the nasty comments you got.”
